This Week’s Topic:
HOW LONG IS THIS?
You all know me. I more or less am always reading a contemporary book, and most of those books clock in between 300 - 400 pages. I mean, when you compare my books to a fantasy book, they seem rather short. I can knock one out in 5 or 6 hours. But I had a recent spate of books that felt long. It seemed like I was reading them forever, and I would double check the page count, and be mystified as to why it was taking me so long to get through these books.
A few explanations I came up with
The writing is very dense. Maybe it's packed with too many five dollar words, or it's simply a lot to absorb. Either way, it takes me a long time to plod through, and I will admit, I don't really like fighting my way through my pleasure reading.
Have you ever read a book, that seemed a lot longer than it was? Why do you think it seemed that way? Sometimes, I am unable to pinpoint the problem, but I do usually end up DNFing the book.
Now it's your turn!
Has a book ever felt longer than it should for you?
Let us know in the comments!
Let us know in the comments!
I loved the first gif LOL. But I have to say that I like to have to look up for words in a dictionary every now and then...*ducks*
ReplyDeleteMmh...I think the books that seem longer to me me are those where I can't feel a deep connection with the main character. Then again, I've read many excellent books where I didn't get awfully attached to the MC, but which provided lots of entertainment, thus I ended up speeding through them. Now that I think of it, it may be a combo of characters I don't really feel + convoluted plot that makes me feel like it takes me more to finish a book.
Hmmmm, I am trying to think, if maybe that was a problem in a few of the books. I do tend to need to like the characters, and feel invested in their story. I think it's especially important, when I am talking about a book short on plot.
DeleteI feel like I have read some really long books quickly but it has taken me forever to get through some shorter one. As you said, some books are more dense. When I am reading some fantasy and there is a lot of world-building going on, it can be slow going. If a book is taking me forever simply because I keep putting it down, then I will consider marking it as a dnf and just moving on.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely read SFF books slower. That I can say for sure, and it's because there are so many details I need to gather and register, in order to fully understand the way of the world. It's part of the reason why I cannot listen to those books in audio format.
DeleteI didn't even think about me always putting the book down. There were a few, that come to mind, that I really could only read 30 or so mins at a time, and I didn't feel like I made much headway during those 30 mins. Yeah, I am pretty sure they were DNFs for me
It usually feels like a book is longer to read than it should be when I'm just not in the mood for what it has to offer. It happens a lot when I try to reading a genre and my brain is screaming for another one (like I'm reading a contemporary romance when my brain is demanding UF) or when the book I'm reading is in the right genre but isn't ticking whatever box my brain apparently wants ticking as the romance is too fast, too slow, too angsty, not angsty enough etc.
ReplyDeleteIt's fairly obvious when this is the case I'll enjoy it but it'll just feel laborious while reading so I know to put it down and go back to it when I'm ready. If it's the "right" kind of book but it's taking forever to get through because I'm not liking it much, it gets dumped into the DNF pile and I move onto the next one never to spare it a thought.
I don't like it when a book confuses me so I need to keep re-reading bits to keep things straight. That's a guaranteed way to make a 300-400 page book feel never ending... I don't have enough patience or reading time for that to be acceptable, lol.
I didn't think about my mood, but it is the reason I DNF most books. If I am not feeling it, I can't continue, but maybe it also affects how long the book feels. Like, if I am not in the mood, it feels like way more work. I will have to be on the look out for that
DeleteI find that when books don't have a lot of dialogue, when there's just a lot of really long paragraphs, those take me way longer to read, regardless of page count. Also if there are a ton of characters that I constantly need to keep reminding myself of who they are, that can slow things down.
ReplyDeleteI can agree with that for a book I am thinking about, which felt like way longer than the 352 pages it was supposed to be. It had a lot of introspective parts, and hence, not as much dialog. I usually can remember the characters as I read, but have to look up their names when I write the review
DeleteI think they feel really long when it's a first in a series and there's a lot of world building. I don't skim and I can't not finish a book because they haunt me. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe info dumps. We all have a love/hate relationship with them, but they are so necessary in certain genres
Deletei think sometimes i can't get into, whether it's because i don't care about the characters or the plot can't hold my interest. i usually finish the book anyway, because the ending could be the cherry on top
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
You are a trooper. I cannot push through books. I just can't do it. Maybe I am too pessimistic to believe it gets better.
DeleteWhen it seems like I'm RACING to finish a book, I know it's probably not for me. Page length isn't usually a problem for me because I read a lot of fantasy, but those 400 pages can feel like 800 pages if I'm not meshing with the writing, the plot has a ton of loopholes, or the worldbuilding doesn't feel complete.
ReplyDeleteI swear! I was reading this book, and I must have checked the page count 50 times. I felt like I was getting nowhere with it. I think writing style has been an issue with me, in that there was too much introspection and not enough interaction (at least in the one I am thinking of)
DeleteDo you always finish books? I find when I'm feeling the way you do, it's time for a good ol' DNF!
ReplyDeleteThat said, quarantine reading is HARD. I cannot focus on writing I'd normally love and books I don't care for that much (typically) I'm sucking up like they are water after a long trek in a desert. My brain is definitely all confused and muddled about reading right now. So, perhaps your brain is struggling a bit, too?
Nope. I am a mad DNFer, and I think I DNFed almost every one of those loooong feeling books. I have trouble pinpointing the issue a lot of times, and this long-feeling is one I have been thinking about a lot. I am ok right now, so I don't think it's that. I have also experienced this prior to lockdown. Some books just don't work for me, but I cannot always tell why.
DeleteWe're sharing a brain right now. So much. Some 400+ page books are so easy for me to get through while some 300 page books seem to take me forever. And the only explanation I can come up with is that, yes, some books are just dry...boring...and the pacing is off.
ReplyDeletePacing. I see that thrown around a lot, and I do think it's something that puts me off. And, well, boring is boring. I read all those boing books back in school. Now I want the interesting and entertaining ones.
DeleteI actually have felt this way with a lot of my reading lately too, and I'm wondering if it's me? Like, I'm just a more distracted reader lately, even when I don't feel specifically distracted. I'm finding that I need fast-paced books or I just can't even manage them right now.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Jackie feels like it's related to lockdown, but I experienced this prior to the great quarantine of 2020 (that's how it will be remembered in history books). I have been gravitating to lighter books, because life is so depressing right now, but I think I always prefer a faster paced book.
DeleteSome books I read slower on purpose because I want to take it all in and really savor what the author is saying. But there are definitely times when a contemporary that I should fly through (well, my version of fly through LOL) seems to drag on and on and feels way longer than the 300 or so pages. Like we've talked about before, we both put characters way above plot so it's not like I demand an intricate plot to keep me going. I think for me it's one of three things: 1) I have a disconnect with the characters and just don't feel invested, 2) I'm in a bit of a reading slump and I'm reading very slowly/infrequently, and 3) the plot doesn't seem to have any forward motion and isn't going anywhere. Luckily these don't happen often!
ReplyDeletePlots that go nowhere have been a theme for me lately. I read two romance, where they didn't even kiss until the 75% mark. Sorry, that's a long wait. I feel like I was so annoyed, that it felt like I was trudging through.
DeleteI hate when I'm reading on the Kindle and keep thinking...when is something going to happen?? and I look down and it's only at 3% lol
ReplyDeleteI really need a character (or preferably a relationship :-)) to suck me in or else I get distracted and it feels like the book is dragging.
Karen @ For What It's Worth
Oddly enough, the books I experienced this with did a great job grabbing me in the very beginning, but then something happened, that derailed my enjoyment. The few times it has happened, recently, I had to toggle the percent/time off, because it was making it worse for me.
DeleteOh, yes! A book feels long when I'm not really enjoying it. Dense language, unless it's beautiful and engaging, usually is a turn off for me. There are only a few writers I feel can pull it off. Most the time is just slows the plot down.
ReplyDeleteSo painful. I mean, it's great the author knows so many words, but really, is it necessary? There have been times, when I love me some flowery writing, but bogging me down with way too many intricate details and jargon makes my eyes glaze over.
DeleteI just finished Bridge of Clay, and it was all of these things. It’s 600 pages, but it feels like 10,000. I was disappointed because it’s written by one of my favorite authors. I should have DNFed, but I didn’t because I kept hoping it would suddenly become amazing.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I am sorry to hear it disappointed you. I know you were looking forward to that book. ((HUGS)) That's a pretty meaty book at 600 pages, add some of those factors I mentioned, and wow! It would seem like a chore to me.
DeleteI've had instances where a 300 page book feels like a slog while a 500 or more page book breezes by. It's usually a writing or pacing thing for me. If the writing doesn't gel, it's hard to get into the book. If it feels like nothing's happening, it's time to let go of that book.
ReplyDeletePacing keeps coming up with me. It's probably been my biggest pet peeve (after political creep). I am a fairly patient reader, but there is only so long I can wait for something to happen. Agreed, I tend to let those go.
DeleteOkay here's an irritating thing: Goodreads tells me the thing is 300 pages, and I feel like I am losing my MIND, slogging through some epic, only to go to Amazon for a link and find that the book is actually 500 pages and Goodreads lied right the heck to my face. That happens far more often than it should, frankly.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah I agree that if a book is seeming really long, that is NOT a good sign. Like I read an 800 pager this year that flew by, but have spent eons on a 350 page one. So it means something is NOT going well, for sure!
I usually get my page counts from Edelweiss, since that't the pubs putting those numbers up there. You have to be careful with which version of the book you view. I always open "all editions" on GR, mostly because of that issue. Page count plays a big role in how I assemble my weekly TBR. I like a mix to balance out longer and shorter reads, and then hit my 5 books per week goal.
DeleteYes. Something is wrong, but what is it? I often don't cite negatives in my reviews, because I cannot pinpoint the issue. That is why I have been mulling over this for a while. That, and it's becoming a thing lately. Some people are thinking maybe it's mood, which is plausible, though I don't think it's a quarantine thing, because I experienced this "phenomena" before that.
I've been having a hard time reading lately. So it seem that it takes me longer to read them now if if grabs me from the start, I seem to fly through. I just set one that I was really excited for and it makes me sad. I've been reading a lot more contemporary/romance and women's fiction and seem to be a better fit for right now.
ReplyDeleteI don't seem to have a lot of patience for a story to get going in general (I think), but these books I am thinking of, started strong, and then dragged. Contemporary romance is my go-to whenever I am struggling. They never fail to delight me
DeleteI've had books of 150 pages that seemed to be dragging because of content or the writing style or something! I hate it when that happens...
ReplyDeleteI don't think there are too many styles I have issue with, though if I spend too much time in the character's head, I think it drags for me.
DeleteI have DEFINITELY noticed this! Contemporary or mysteries and horror are much, much quicker reads for me than fantasy, especially adult fantasy. I've always just figured it's because mysteries are faster paced and I guess fantasy world building takes up a lot more brain space than flying through a quick plot. Same with historical fiction!
ReplyDeleteI read SFF books at a much slower rate, because, like you said, there's a whole world to learn. I also spend way too much time trying to pronounce their names.
DeleteMy friend is reading Loveboat, Taipei right now, and we had this same conversation. She's really enjoying it, and I did find it quite entertaining as well - however, there was a lot of time in the 400+ pages that I was like, wait, this isn't done yet? This feels like a good ending point...and yet we still have 100 pages to go. I think for that one, it was because there was just SO much packed into it. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe there were a few books, where the author was trying to jam a whole lot into the story. I didn't personally feel that way about Loveboat, but I sort of felt that way with What I Like About You, though, I did think the pacing was ok with that book.
DeleteI have been thinking about this just this week. I read House of Earth and Blood, which was just over 800 pgs. It took me several days, but I was reading other books alongside it. Ultimately, I felt like I zipped through it. And I just finished a really short book that took me forever just because it was boring. But, there have been some books that I've enjoyed the overall story, but they weren't easy to get through because of the dense writing. A lot of classics are that way for me. I usually only read those sort of books here and there, though, since they are harder to get through.
ReplyDeleteBoring definitely makes something feel long. That's like every text book I have ever read. The language the author uses can trip me up. For me, it comes down to if I feel like it's a chore (like I did with Outlander). In that case, I usually DNF, but if it's dense, but I going well, I stick with it
DeleteI've had this happen too. It has actually seemed to happen a lot lately, which I'm guessing is just because I'm constantly distracted by the pandemic. I'm constantly just like "OMG, how have I not finished this book yet?!" In some cases though, it's definitely the book, like it feels like it should have wrapped up but just keeps meandering along like it just doesn't want to end, lol.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people think it has something to do with feeling distracted. It's possibly my problem, though, I have had this happen to me just as much before the pandemic
DeleteI agree with everything you mentioned here, Sam! I'll admit that long Contemporary novels tend to surprise me, I'll probably be reluctant to pick up a 400+ - 450+ pages long Contemporary novel, while I'll easily read a Fantasy of the same, or even much longer length.
ReplyDeleteI'll say this, though - I love the opposite of this! When a novel is long, but it feels shorter, because I'm flying through it. That's the best. Great discussion!
Most of the time, I find contemporaries exceeding 400 pages in need of trimming. That's just me though. The sign of a great book for me is NOT noticing how long it is, so I totally agree with you
DeleteI think when the world building is really intricate, with lots of details to absorb or when we meet tons of characters in the beginning of the book, each with a backstory, it slows down the reading process. And if you find the story boring of course it will seem way too long (and that one will be a DNF for me). Great point sam! You'll be in next week's Sunday Post (I saw it too late to feature you today)
ReplyDeleteI do agree that it slows it down, though I often understand the necessity in an SFF book. Thanks, Sophie!
DeleteYep, I hate that feeling when you're reading a book and you don't think it's all that long so why have you been reading for what feels like 10 days and are only half way through? I normally find it feels longer if I'm not enjoying it as much, maybe because the story is slow or there's not a lot happening. Or sometimes it's because the plot is going in no way I expect it. Normally you can tell when you're getting to the end of the book based on story progression, in romance you'll have some big falling out or something which breaks the couple apart and then you have the happily ever after, so when a book breaks the expected story progression is throws me and that's usually when I find a book s taking longer than usual because it's reached a point I expected to come towards the end.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point - breaking the expected progression. Maybe that's why the last two "slow burns" I read were just OK and not great for me.
DeleteI've read some very short classics - like 150 pages, and it felt like I was reading them forever. It's as your first point said - they're very dense. However, I think because I read so many genres I don't have any expectations in relation to page count. Some just take me longer than others and that's that :P
ReplyDeletePage count vary, but it just seems like some pages take a LOT longer to get through than others.
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